1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to trigger assemblies and an extractor assembly, and more particularly to an elongated trigger assembly for a firearm which has roller bearings, a trigger assembly for a breech loading firearm having a safety pin for locking a barrel latch while the firearm discharges a round of ammunition, and an extractor assembly for rimless shells in a barrel assembly of a breech loading firearm.
2. Related Art
There are many different trigger mechanisms that have been created for various firearms, including breech-loading firearms in which the barrel rotates relative to the frame such as in derringer-style pistols, most revolvers and shotguns, and some hunting rifles. Most of these firearms use the standard trigger design which rotates around a pivot point where the top portion of the trigger connects to the frame while some of the firearms use a reciprocating or sliding trigger design which translates within the frame and trigger guard. Many sliding triggers are elongated so that the longitudinal axis of the trigger is parallel to the trigger's reciprocating motion or direction of travel.
Some of the trigger designs include roller bearings to provide better trigger control, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,481, or ball bearings to allow the trigger to rotate while it is depressed, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,521,286. However, the use of these bearings in the prior art are designed for trigger assemblies with a relatively narrow trigger shoe, not elongated, and would not work with elongated trigger assemblies such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,392,320, 4,407,085, 4,722,148 and 8,495,831. Instead, these elongated trigger assemblies have used various tracks and guides to produce a smooth operation along with stability which avoids rocking of the elongated trigger assembly, such as the design described the '320 patent, but these track systems are subject to wear due to the sliding motion between the trigger and the frame. Accordingly, there remains a need for track designs in an elongated trigger assembly which can provide smooth operation and balance while reducing wear, and merely incorporating bearings into prior known track systems would not be satisfactory because they would not provide smooth operation and balance to the elongated trigger.
The firearms with a rotating barrel have a catch to lock the barrel in the firing position and a release to allow the barrel to rotate into the loading position, and some of these firearms include a secondary latch or other mechanism to ensure that the barrel does not accidentally rotate out of the firing position while the gun is being discharged. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 27,399 discloses a rotatable trigger guard and a bar with a pair of catches which operate together to prevent the accidental rotation of the barrel. The trigger guard is connected to an inner arm that rotates the barrel between the firing and loading positions, and the bar has a catch on one end to latch the breech of the barrel in the firing position and a secondary catch at the opposite end which is latched by a notch in the rotatable trigger guard. In order to rotate the barrel into the loading position, the catch and secondary catch are released, and the trigger guard must then be rotated downwardly so that the inner arm is moved upwardly with the barrel. Another example of a device to prevent the accidental rotation of the barrel is described by U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,149. According to the '149 patent, a bolt engages a latching recess in the receiver to lock the barrel in the firing position, and the horn of the trigger guard is moved upwardly to unlock the bolt from the latching recess while simultaneously sliding a safety between the hammer and the receiver to prevent an accidental firing. The horn must be moved to its full upward position in order for the trigger to engage a bar that connects to the sear, and without this engagement between the trigger and the bar, it is not possible to cock the hammer for firing. Both of these barrel locking designs are rather complicated because they require the actuation of additional structural elements other than the trigger. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a barrel locking mechanism which engages when the barrel is closed and has a secondary locking mechanism that is actuated by the trigger itself.
There are also devices that use the trigger to unlock the barrel lock, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,097, or that prevent the trigger from moving to the firing position by engaging the trigger when the barrel assembly is out of the firing position, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,383, but these devices are not a secondary locking mechanism. Additional barrel locking mechanisms are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 893,465, 1,562,501, 4,156,980, 4,914,845, and 6,655,065.